


Red Roses and White Lilies

by finn_ouronlyhope (incandescentVirtuoso)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Happiness mostly idk it depends on what you think is happy, Minor Jessika Pava/Karé Kun, it was meant to mostly be a finnrey fic but when do i ever do things how im supposed to, mostly a finn fic with finnrey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 03:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6837556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incandescentVirtuoso/pseuds/finn_ouronlyhope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I was afraid you'd already gone home." Rey said as she handed him a bouquet filled with red roses and white lilies.</p><p>  Finn laughed, "and miss an opportunity for a free Skywalker floral arrangement? No way."</p><p>  She smiled, blushing a bit this time, making Finn's heart flutter. "Thanks."</p><p> </p><p>florist!rey au inspired by a wonderful prompt i was given, though it is quite a bit different from what i was given it is essentially the same idea i hope</p>
            </blockquote>





	Red Roses and White Lilies

**Author's Note:**

> the first half of this is mostly exposition as well as Finn silently pining over Rey so sorry

Finn, 24, worked as a gardener at a beautiful park (as well as all other government owned properties) in the middle of a quaint little town. Anyone would tell you that the park's beauty stemmed entirely from the fact that Finn kept it that way, but Finn would tell you the beauty of the park was a product of the community. Regardless of who made the park beautiful, the fact was that it was the prized landmark of the town. It also just so happened to be across the street from a small, locally owned flower shop called Skywalker Floral.

Finn would consider the owner, Rey, a friend. Why shouldn't he? He was up at four in the morning every Tuesday and Saturday when she drove to her shop with a large truck full of flowers. He was out every Friday night when she worked on her dingy pickup, so they occasionally exchanged smiles and "hello"s. In fact, one Wednesday night, it had begun to sprinkle and as Finn was getting off his ladder, he slipped. Rey had witnessed the scene and immediately rushed to his aid. Despite his protests, she called an ambulance, saying she would hold him down until they got there if he didn't let them make sure he was okay. Without her, two fractured ribs would've gone undiagnosed and Finn would likely have been in far more pain than necessary.

This all goes without mentioning that every Monday night, Rey brought out a bouquet of flowers (leftover ones that didn't sell, but none the less beautiful) with a small card, wishing him a wonderful night or something of the like. So, yeah, Finn would (rightfully) consider her a friend.

 

On a Monday night, not unlike every other Monday night, except for the slightly chillier weather, Finn began packing up his equipment into his government-issued van. He spent most of the evening trimming dangerously low-hanging branches off trees and raking mulch from the playground back into it's designated area so, he would admit, he was a little exhausted. 

He also had to get up at three so he could mow the grass and remove the weeds from the flower beds, so when it was 9:45 and he was all packed up, he considered driving home and just going to bed. Instead, he climbed onto the hood of his van and waited for the light in Skywalker Floral to turn and for Rey to rush out with her familiar smile on her face.

Finally, after fifteen minutes, the lights went out and Rey emerged holding a bouquet of flowers and flashing a smile that Finn would swear lit up the entire town, if only for a moment. After looking both ways, Rey crossed the street towards Finn who hopped off the hood of the van and stood, waiting.

"I was afraid you'd already gone home." Rey said as she handed him a bouquet filled with red roses and white lilies.

Finn laughed, "and miss an opportunity for a free Skywalker floral arrangement? No way."

She smiled, blushing a bit this time, making Finn's heart flutter. "Thanks."

"It's getting pretty chilly, almost time to bring out the Christmas jumpers." Rey commented on the weather, her accent prominent as she spoke. She glanced across the street at her car and Finn took this as a sign to end the exchange. Rey was probably just as tired as he was, having worked all day as well (she didn't lug around giant tree branches, but she DID interact with at least a hundred people this afternoon alone which, Finn was aware, can tire a person out like nothing else).

"Finally get to wear my ugly snowmen sweaters again." Finn said, earning a breathy laugh from Rey. "Thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful. You've probably got an early morning so I shouldn't keep you any longer."

"You as well." She replied, waving him farewell before rushing to her car, "goodnight, Finn!" She shouted when she made it across the street. Finn waved back before getting into his own vehicle, putting the bouquet of flowers on the seat next to him as he drove home smiling.  
He arrived at his small, shared house at 10:15, making sure to be as quiet as possible so he didn't wake his probably sleeping roommates. Finn put his bouquet in a vase in the kitchen; replacing the ones Rey gave him last week, and set the attached note beside it so he could read it in the morning. Then, feeling like he was twice as tired as he was half an hour ago, he retreated to bed. As he fell asleep, the sound of Rey saying his name echoed in his mind, providing a sense of unexpected comfort.

 

Finn's alarm went off on schedule, three A.M., playing the obnoxious default tone that he often wished he could completely erase from his mind. Groaning, he turned off the alarm and pushed himself out of bed. Finn treaded down the hall, yawning as he made his way to the kitchen, hoping for a cup of coffee and something to eat. As he got closer, he could smell bacon and hear hushed laughter. Walking in, Finn saw his roommate, Jessika, seated cross-legged on the counter, drinking a cup of coffee as her girlfriend, Karé, cooked on the stove. 

Finn immediately noticed neither was in uniform, so Karé must have spent the night once again. It wasn't, in any way, a problem that she did, he was just beginning to become so used to her being around that he wondered if Jessika was ever going to ask her to move in.

When Jessika noticed Finn's arrival, she greeted him with a soft smile, "Morning, sunshine. Late night?" She asked. Karé turned around to see whom it was, nodding in acknowledgement when her eyes lay upon Finn.

"Not too bad, ten thirty-ish." He responded. 

Karé took the opportunity to speak up when Jessika just replied with a hum, "Eggs? Bacon?"

"Yes, please." Finn said gratefully, squeezing in between Jessika and Karé to pour himself a cup of coffee. With his new cup of coffee, he sat on a barstool in front of the kitchen's island, right next to his new flowers.

"Rey's flowers are pretty romantic this time around." Karé said as she handed Jessika her eggs and bacon.

"She gives me whatever's left over." Finn dismissed the comment.

Karé laughed, "but never roses, until now." 

Jessika nodded, taking a bite of bacon before speaking, "she's right, you know." 

"Don't you two have planes to fly?" Finn asked, jokingly ignoring their teases. Karé placed Finn's breakfast in front of him, and Finn near-immediately began to dig in.

"What time did Poe get home last night?" Karé asked, most likely trying to decide whether it would be worth it to make him breakfast.

"His car was here when I got home." Finn said before taking a bite of bacon.

"He was in the garage when I went to the bathroom at, like, midnight. If he's lucky he won't be up until noon." Jessika said, after eating an entire fried egg in one bite. 

Finn unconsciously tuned out of the conversation as he picked up the note Rey wrote him from beside the vase of flowers and opened it. He took another bite of his breakfast and began reading Rey's messy handwriting.

Only two words were written, but they were enough to make his heart stop.

"Dinner sometime?"

He flipped the card over and found a chain of numbers. Her phone number. Had his phone not been in his room, he would have called her right then and there saying yes. Yes, he wanted to go to dinner. Absolutely, he wouldn't miss it for the world.

Instead, he finished his breakfast and coffee and put all his dishes into the dishwasher. Jessika handed her dishes to him, so he put hers in as well.

"Finn?" Jessika said, questioningly, snapping him out of his daze, "you okay there, dude?"

"I'm great." He said, standing up straight, a feeling of energy and happiness rushing over him. He glanced past a smiling Karé, looking at the stove's digital clock to find out it was already five until three thirty. Though twenty-five minutes wasn't that long in the first place, he didn't feel like twenty-five minutes had passed at all.

Finn quickly excused himself, going to his bedroom to change into jeans and a t-shirt and get on his socks and shoes. He grabbed his phone before making his way back into the kitchen. "Should I expect both of you for dinner" He asked. Karé glanced at Jessika, shrugging to imply that it was up to her.

Jessika thought for a moment before responding, "if you're not having dinner before six, then sure."

Finn nodded, wished them a good day, and went to the garage. He tapped the button that opened the garage and pulled the lawn mower out towards his van. Opening the back doors, Finn quickly realized that there was a lack of space for the lawn mower. In a quick attempt to free up space, he removed the ladder, rakes, and a large bag of soil, as well as a couple other things that he couldn't imagine needing this morning. 

When enough space was available, Finn hauled the lawn mower into his van, trying it down so it wouldn't tip over during the short car ride. He closed the back of the van, closed the garage door, and turned around in a circle, wondering if he forgot anything. After deciding that everything was taken care of, Finn began his short commute to work.

 

Finn had been moving the lawn for around fifteen minutes when, like clockwork, Rey drove up to her shop with a truck full of flowers. As she got out of her truck, she glanced at Finn, shooting him a smile that he fondly reciprocated. If he didn't have the rest of the park, as well as a few other government-owned areas, he would've gone over and told Rey that he would definitely go to dinner with her. The exchanges of smiles would have to suffice for now.

 

At noon, Finn finished mowing the final government-owed property of the day. He packed up and drove home.

When he first started the job he though about asking the town to invest in a riding mower, but as time progressed, the normal mower was less of a challenge and more of a literal walk in the park. He found the mowing to be a great chance to enjoy nature just before the world got very busy. Besides, why invest in a lawn mower when the couple hundred dollars could be used to feed some of the (scarce, but existent) homeless folk who lived around town.

As soon as Finn arrived home, he first put the lawn mower back into the garage, replaced everything he removed in the morning (excluding the ladder, he didn't think he'd need it for at least another month). 

Craving another cup of coffee to ward away his drowsiness and maybe a sandwich just because he was hungry, Finn's first stop was the kitchen. The dishwasher was running, letting him know that Poe was awake and that there was probably a hot pot of coffee waiting for him.

Just as he had expected, there was a near-full pot of coffee underneath the coffee maker. Even from across the kitchen Finn could see the steam rising out of the pot and his heart was filled with joy. He poured himself a cup and put two slices of toast in the toaster. Due to Jessika's peanut allergy, the household made an unanimous decision to not keep any peanut putter, eliminating any chance of Finn eating a PB&J. Instead, he took out two different jams, deciding two pieces of jam and toast is the best alternative.

Finn drank his coffee in silence, waiting for his bread to become toast. As his eyes darted around the room, he spotted Rey's note in the same place he left it. Now is as good a time as any, Finn thought, taking his phone out of his pocket and walking to the note so he could see Rey's number. He typed it into his phone and took another sip of coffee before hitting the call button. 

Pressing the phone to his ear, Finn Listened as it rang once... twice...

"Hello?" Rey's voice came over the line before it had the chance to ring for the third time.

"Hi, Rey, this is Finn." Finn spoke, wondering if he sounded half as nervous as he felt. He heard movement from the other side of the call, like Rey had gone to sit down.

"Finn, hey!" Rey said, her voice as cheery as it always was when they spoke, "how are you?"

Finn's toast popped out of the toaster, done. "I'm good, how are you?" Finn asked, keeping up the small talk so that he didn't need to address the elephant in the room. Or rather, the phone conversation.

"I'm good as well." Rey replied.

Silence.

Poe walked into the kitchen, holding the "#1 Grandpa" mug Jessika had bought him for his birthday the first year after they all moved in together. Seeing Finn was on the phone, Poe refrained from speaking and just waved, a huge smile on his face. As Poe filled his cup with coffee, Finn wondered if Poe had read Rey's note. That would explain his suspicious excitement.

When Poe's cup was full, Poe gave Finn a thumb up with his free hand and walked to the living room, sitting on the couch. He turned on the TV and turned the volume down low, as to not make it difficult for Finn to continue on the phone.

Just before the silence over the phone began to border on completely absurd, Rey spoke up, "Is this about my note?"

"Actually, yes, I was wondering when you were thinking..." Finn trailed off, assuming what he said was enough to get his point across.

Rey took a breath, "tomorrow's my only day off this week. If you're busy I can probably get my dad to work a closing shift for me sometime-"

"Tomorrow's fine, does seven work?" Finn asked in a reassuring tone.

"Yeah, seven is great!" Rey said, the sound of excitement prominent in her voice, causing a huge smile to break onto Finn's face. "I can pick you up if you'd like." Rey suggested, "or we can meet or something."

"No, you can pick me up." Finn said. He probably would've offered to drive if his only mode of transportation wasn't the government's van. He had always been more of a navigator anyway; choosing passenger seat over driver every time he was presented with the option.

"Okay!" Rey said, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "Just text me your address and I'll be there at seven."

"I'll do that. I can't wait." Finn told her, not lying on any level.

"Neither can I-" Finn heard a bell on the other side of the line, "oh! I'm gonna have to go now, please text me soon."

"I will, goodbye." Finn said, wishing the conversation didn't have to be cut short, but somewhat glad because he always found it harder to keep up conversations without the person in front of him. 

"Bye." Rey said before hanging up the phone to attend to whatever customer just walked in. Finn help his phone to his ear a few seconds longer before making Rey a contact and texting her his address. He then set his phone on the counter and prepared his toast and jam.

When he was done with his lunch, Poe came back into the kitchen, whatever he was watching now on a commercial break. "How'd you sleep?" Finn asked as his best friend pours what was likely his third cup of coffee in less than an hour, the pot now reaching it's end.

Poe shrugged, "at all." Poe set his mug on the counter so he could us both his hands to lift himself up, so her was sitting next to his mug. "So, it's probably safe to assume you've got a hot date with Rey tomorrow?" Poe asked before taking a big sip of his coffee.

"Shut up." Finn said, rolling his eyes.

"Now, I'm not one to say I called it," Poe said with a cocky smirk as he ran his hand through his curly hair, "but I definitely called it."

"Yeah, yeah." Finn walked to the sink, setting his dishes inside so he would remember to put them into the dishwasher when it was empty.

"I really should've put money on it." Poe clicked his tongue in mock disappointment. Finn laughed, making Poe's smirk grow into a genuine smile.

"Too late for that now." Finn said, moving to sit in one of the bar stools.

Poe nodded, "unfortunately." Finn sat down and wiggled a bit to get comfortable. "In all seriousness, I'm happy for you, buddy." Poe said affectionately.

"Thanks." Finn replied, "Here’s to hoping it goes well." Poe raised his mug up in a sign of agreement. 

Right on time, Finn's alarm went off, letting him know it was time to go back to work. Finn bid Poe farewell and headed back to work. He (thankfully) only had to pick up stray garbage that people thoughtlessly through on the ground instead of into one of the many designated garbage cans across town and empty said garbage cans. When at town hall, disposing of the garbage bags, he also needed to log all the work he had done before he could return home to make dinner. 

Finn didn't honestly expect there to be much trash on the ground, if any at all, considering he had just mowed the grass a couple hours ago and hadn't seen any then. He did his job thoroughly regardless, not interested in someone finding out he slacked off and getting him fired. 

He only found a few stray bottle caps on the grass, as well as a napkin that was likely blown off a restaurant patio by the wind. Finn picked it all up, threw it into the garbage and took the bag out, throwing it all into his van with his other bags of garbage. The moment he was sure that everything was in order; he got in his van and drove to town hall to finish up his workday.

Once everything was taken care of, Finn went home sweaty and slightly sore. Finn took a warm shower before starting with dinner.

He wasn't entirely sure what he was making; it was a recipe out of one of the cookbooks Poe brought with him. Handwritten, presumably by Poe's mother, the recipe didn't have a name. Finn had spent multiple nights, though, going through the household's collective cookbook selection before deciding this one was the one he was craving the most.

The recipe was simple, a rice and bean base with multiple roasted vegetables, and more spices that Finn could count on one hand, as well as a lot of hard work. Luckily, Finn had convinced Poe to get all the ingredients just a few days before, eliminating one part of the hard work. He pulled everything he needed from the cabinets and fridge and began preparing the meal as instructed. 

As Finn bustled around the kitchen, determined to get the recipe done right, Poe's fat, one-eyed cat, BeeBee, emerged from Poe's bedroom and began wandering around at Finn's feet. With skill and precision, Finn managed to avoid stepping on BeeBee as he chopped and cooked and created what he hoped to be a masterpiece. 

Just after six, Karé and Jessica walked through the front door in full uniform, talking about something that Finn didn't understand, or was too focused on his cooking to attempt to understand.

"Oh, Beebee!" Jessika slightly squealed when she walked in the kitchen and saw the round cat walking around. She picked it up and took it closer to the living room, scratching behind it's ear as she mumbled about how adorable it was.

"Hey, Finn." Karé greeted Finn.

"Sup." Finn replied easily, taking his vegetables of the heat before they burned.

Karé looked at Jessika, who was only paying attention to the cat and acting like she hadn't seen in thirty years despite having likely seen it yesterday. "I'm gonna go get changed." Karé told Jessika who nodded in reply. Karé then exited towards Jessika's room to get into something more comfortable than her uniform.

Finn finished cooking the meal, putting all the components into serving dishes and taking them out to the dining room. He grabbed enough plates and silverware for four people and set the table before calling out that dinner was ready.

"Gimme a second, I'm gonna get changed as well." Jessika shouted back and Finn could hear her boots stomping towards her bedroom. Poe emerged from his room and sat down at the table where he sat every night they had dinner together, Finn sitting in the spot next to him. Jessika and Karé arrived just moments later, Jessika now wearing shorts and a black shirt while Karé changed into jeans and a t-shirt advertising a company Finn was ninety percent sure she knew nothing about, she probably just enjoyed the design, which was entirely understandable.

When everyone was seated, Finn was the first to scoop his food on his plate and the first to take a bite, the rest watching him intently (a running joke between the group, not easily explained to those who came over for dinner for the first time). The food was good, the large amount of spices not overbearing in any way and, in fact, blended in together in the perfect way. A warm feeling rushed through Finn, the food comforting him despite the fact that he did not need any comfort at the moment. The other three at the table made their own plates when Finn gave the signal by shrugging his shoulders. 

Poe was the second to take a bite, followed by Karé and Jessika. "Oh my God, Finn." Jessika said, covering her mouth with her hand as she spoke, "this is amazing." Poe and Karé both nodded, and Finn smiled heartily.

"Thanks, I know, right?" Finn said as he took another bite of his food, savoring it as he chewed.

"So how was work?" Poe asked the Jessika and Karé, his voice laced with bona fide interest.

"Pretty good." The girls answered simultaneously, quickly followed by them both saying "jinx" at the same time. Poe laughed and took another bite of his food. The table moved into a silence where no one wanted to talk, everyone just wanted to eat and exchange glances of satisfaction, so they did. Finn and Jessika both got seconds as Karé and Poe still worked on their first serving, Karé quickly catching up as Poe was still far from a second helping. 

As Finn finished his second serving, he sat back in his chair in silence and waited as his closest friends finished eating all they could. Poe, as usual of lately, was not done with his first helping when the other three had eaten all they could, and not at a particularly fast pace. Everyone stayed seated, though, waiting for Poe to finish. "You don't have to watch me eat, you guys, I know how to eat when you're not hovering over me." 

"I'm not hovering," Finn defended himself, "just waiting for you to finish so that I can do the dishes." 

"Me too." Karé added, her arms crossed over her chest.

"I'm not doing the dishes," Jessika laughed, "just sitting because I don't want to be the first to get up."

Poe smiled slightly and took another slow bite of his food. Finn watched as he chewed and swallowed, then pushed his plate towards the center of the table, most of the food eaten, "I'm done now." He said, "it was fantastic, Finn." Finn smiled and Poe spoke again, quite quickly, "not as good as my mother's, though."

"It's hard to beat the person who made the recipe." Finn said, admitting he was not the best cook, but accepting that he was pretty great of one. Poe pushed his chair back and stood as Finn gathered all the empty plates and silverware, putting them piling them on top of each other as Karé collected the serving dishes, taking those into the kitchen once again as Jessika and Poe both left the dining room (probably to watch some shitty reality TV show in the living room). Once Finn had all the dishes in a heavy stack, he took them to the kitchen, setting them on the counter as he opened the dishwasher and loaded them in (Jess and Poe were, indeed, in the living room watching some shitty reality TV show). Karé emptied the leftover food into Tupperware then put the food into the fridge and set the, now empty, serving plates beside Finn's pile of dishes. She then exited into the living room as well, leaving Finn alone in the kitchen to tend to the dishes. The task wasn't difficult, as Poe had emptied the dishwasher before Finn had gotten home so all he had to do was put the plates in and start it up.

When he finished, Finn went to the living room and squeezed into the end their rather large couch beside Poe, who had Jessika's legs across his lap. Karé was at the other end, with Jessika's entire upper body on her. When Finn sat down, Jessika repositioned herself so her feet were laying on his lap as they all watched the show (though Finn never understood what was happening, someone was constantly crying and throwing shade at another person and there was far too much for Finn to attempt to keep up with). "Jennifer's a drama queen, I hope she leaves this season." Jessika said as someone threw a plate at another person, screaming bleeped out profanities.

"I love her, she's the worst." Poe said, not disagreeing with Jessika but not entirely agreeing. Finn took his eyes away from the screen and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He took a sharp breath, seeing that Rey had texted him nearly and hour ago.

Rey Skywalker: OMG! u live like two blocks away from me?

Finn smiled at her text, feeling her infectious happiness seep through his phone.

Finn Dameron: i can walk to your house tomorrow if itll save you money

A near immediate response came when his text delivered.

Rey Skywalker: NO! i still want to drive u if thats ok?

Finn Dameron: thats okay with me

Rey Skywalker: see you at seven then !

"Who you texting, Finn?" Poe asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Finn knew Poe knew, seeing as Finn hardly ever texted anyone and Poe was there when he was on the phone with Rey.

"I bet it's Rey." Jessika said, a wide smile on her face. Finn wasn't sure how Jessika knew, maybe it was a lucky guess or maybe she had read Rey's note when Finn hadn't noticed.

"It is." Finn said, opting for the truth first, evasiveness later. "Ooo"s came from all three of his housemates jokingly, he rolled his eyes, "we're going on a date tomorrow at seven, Poe knows." 

"Poe knew and he didn't tell me?" Jessika gasped in a dramatic manner, propping herself up on her elbows (still on Karé's lap), "if you keep this up we're gonna have to make our own reality show, so much deceit, so many lies."

"You should be Jennifer." Poe snapped back, smirking his signature smirk while Karé tried not to break into laughter.

"I have never been so hurt in my entire life." Jessika said, "Karé, are you just going to let him slander me like this."

"He said he loved Jennifer." Karé defended Poe. Jessika shook her head.

"He also said she was the worst." Jessika lied back down, crossing her arms and exaggerating a frown. Her expression returned back to normal as she shifted her focus back to Finn, "so when's this date of yours?"

"Seven." Finn said, "at least she's picking me up at seven, from what I understand."

Jessika wiggled her feet a bit, likely trying to keep them from falling asleep, "where are you two going?"

Finn thought for a moment before replying, "I'm not sure, I didn't ask." 

"You gotta ask! If she takes you to a fancy restaurant and you're in jeans, it's gonna be a little bit weird." Jessika said.

"If she's taking me to a fancy restaurant and sees me walk to her car in jeans, I think she might let me know we're going somewhere nice." 

Jessika sighed, "Okay, that's fair." 

The group turned their attention back to the TV, focusing their attention to whatever argument the people on the screen were having this time. Something about someone cheating was all Finn could gather. Even though he was sure that the show was plotted out and rehearse, Finn couldn't help but feel bad whenever someone was hurt or sad. 

Rey Skywalker: are u allergic to dogs ?

Finn stared at his phone for a moment after reading the text, unsure as to where it came from.

Finn Dameron: no why do you ask

It took a moment longer than it did with her other texts for Rey to reply this time.

Rey Skywalker: just trying to decide wear to take u for dinner

Rey Skywalker: nothing fancy ive decided but thats about it

Finn smiled, now knowing exactly what Jessika was wondering. Perfect timing, he thought to himself.

Finn Dameron: wherever you take me i will be more than happy

Rey Skywalker: <3

Six A.M. was when Finn's alarm went off every Wednesday morning, and six A.M. was when it went of on this particular Wednesday morning as well. Finn felt like he had slept well, but his nervousness for his upcoming date was making his stomach turn. When Finn left his room to make some coffee and some leftovers from yesterday, he was greeted by Poe, asleep on the couch. Finn started a pot of coffee before waking Poe and helping him to his bedroom where Beebee jumped on top of him and nearly immediately fell asleep on his chest. 

Finn then returned to the kitchen and moved some of the leftover food from yesterday to a microwave safe plate and microwaving it for thirty seconds. His food was done before his coffee, as he had predicted from the fact that their coffee machine was the slowest one to ever exist, so Finn ate his food as he waited. Unsurprisingly, the food was still delicious the second time around. 

The coffee finished when he was done with his breakfast, so he put his dish into the dishwasher and poured himself a cup. He took his cup and walked out of the house to the back porch, enjoying the cool breeze and the sound of the birds chirping as he began fully waking up. The sky was blue, but not the bright blue it was in the middle of the day, just a soft blue like the sky wasn't fully awake either, still working on it as much as Finn was. Jessika and Karé left at the same time as yesterday, so he didn't have them to hype him up for the day; instead he had to hype himself up.

"Today is the day." He said to himself, "you got this." He took a sip of his coffee, glancing around the yard to see if there was anyone to here him give himself a pep talk. Once he was sure no one could hear him, he continued, "you just gotta go to work, then you get to spend the evening with Rey, you won't embarrass yourself. I can do this." He said, "I... can do this. I can do this." Finn repeated to himself until he felt it to be true. Then, he took another sip of his coffee and walked back inside, shutting the door behind him. 

Not much time had passed at all, but Finn felt twice as ready to go than before. He set his coffee down and went to get changed, putting on his usual clothes before returning to the coffee. There wasn't anything he needed to pack, from what he could recall, all he had to do was take care of the flowers and make sure all the sprinklers were fully functional. It was an easy task, but the sprinklers needed to be taken care of before they went off at ten, so he was going to have to crawl in the dirt in the afternoon before his date with Rey. It wasn't the most desirable job to do before a date, but he could deal with it. 

 

At six P.M., Finn returned home from work. His jeans and arms covered in dirt. He rushed inside, ignoring Poe's greeting to get to the bathroom where he could shower and get ready.

Work hadn't been particularly bothersome, no more than the usual, but the nervousness crossed with excitement made it seem to go by faster than normal. He had checked a plethora sprinklers in less than two hours, (a record, though not one he had anyone to brag about to) and the weeding of the flowers took far longer than he expected. He hoped that he could finish at around four or five, but there were more weeds than he could've imagined growing in just a week. So here he was, with less than an hour until his date, desperately trying to scrub caked on dirt from his body. The dirt was in places he was pretty sure didn't even touch the ground, but he didn't take the time to question it, just scrubbed it away as quickly as he could.

Once he found himself to be clean, the water that hit his body no longer dirty when it went down the drain, he turned of the shower and dried himself off. Before rushing to his room to put clothes on he wrapped the towel around him and applied moisturizer to his arm and legs, wanting to be in his tip-top shape. When picking out his clothes, he stared for ten minutes, not sure what to where. Rey hadn't texted him that she decided or anything of the sorts, so Finn found himself wishing he had done as Jessika suggested and asked her. 

He resorted to jeans and a purple t-shirt, concluding that there was really no way he could go wrong with that, it was casual but didn't make it look like he wasn't trying. Finn loved the purple shirt, too, it was one of his favorites and he would say that he looked rather dashing in it. He hoped that Rey would think the same.

A knock on his bedroom door interrupted his train of thought. Finn answered it, finding Jessika with a smile on her face, "looking good, Finn, I love the outfit choice. I'm so excited, you wouldn't believe."

"I do believe." Finn said. Jessika was still in her uniform; suggesting that her first stop was to make sure Finn was ready for his date. "What's the time?" Finn asked, pretty sure that Jessika had checked before she came. 

"Fifteen til." She said, "Rey's outside, though." Jessika informed him and he walked over to his window.

"There's no way, why would she be so early?" Finn peeked through the blinds, seeing her truck.

"I guess her car could've driven itself here." Jessika said, shrugging. "I imagine she's early because she's just as nervous as you are. It's cute." 

"I still need to brush my teeth." Finn told Jess, headed towards the door.

"I'll leave you to it, then." Jessika turned around and walked across the hall to her room as Finn went to the bathroom. He quickly brushed his teeth, put his phone in his pocket, and slipped his shoes on before walking to the front door.

"I'll see you guys later, probably not gonna get killed on this date." Finn called out, opening the door.

"Go get 'em, buddy." Poe shouted back as Finn left. 

Rey's car was right where he saw it from his window, now that it was closer to the time of the date, Rey was standing outside, probably waiting for it to be seven so she could go knock on the door. Of course, when she saw Finn coming out, she looked both ways then crossed the street to meet him at the curb. The two hugged, Rey squeezing him tightly as she held on. After a few seconds, she took a step back and smiled, "I would've brought you flowers but I didn't know if you'd want yet another bouquet after I gave you one a couple days ago." 

Finn laughed, "it's fine, the flowers you gave me are more than enough." He said and they walked towards her truck side by side. Rey was wearing dark jeans and a faded black t-shirt as well as a pair of dirty sneakers. Her hair was down, reaching her shoulders, as apposed to the strange yet adorable three-bun hairstyle that she wore everyday to work. Finn opened the driver's seat door, allowing her to climb in before walking to the passenger side and getting in.

Despite the rusted, dirty exterior of the truck, the interior was pretty clean, not including the dirt on the floor mats (he didn't mind it, the floors of his van were the same way). "Buckle up!" Rey said, and Finn immediately complied.

"So, where are we headed." Finn asked.

Rey turned the car around in the road before replying, "I was thinking we'd just go to Maz's, it's the only place in town that I know for sure wouldn't be absolutely horrible." Maz's was a diner run by a small woman named Maz Kanata; Finn had been a couple times with Poe and Jessika and enjoyed it, so he was looking forward to eating there once again.

"Sounds great." Finn said, "How was your day?" 

"It was pretty good," Rey said, pausing as she took a turn, "My dad called me just before I headed out to tell me that some guy had come into the shop asking for a thousand roses right then and there." Rey laughed, "it was really quite funny, my dad didn't know what to do. He ran the place for thirty years before handing it off to me and he had to call me about what to do."

Finn laughed, "Did you get him his flowers?"

"I wish, but we don't even order a thousand roses on Fridays." Rey explained, "the guy probably had some huge romantic gesture planned and I'm a hopeless romantic so I obviously wanted to help, we only had like two hundred in stock though." 

"Maybe he just wanted a thousand roses. No romantic gesture, he just liked roses. A lot." Finn said.

"Enough to want a thousand of them." Rey said, laughing again. "That would make me feel better about it." Rey was an amazing driver, she could seem to predict which lights would turn red and which would stay green or when a car was going to make an illegal turn so every stop she made was smooth. She was one of the people that made driving look like it was a breeze, when Finn knew full well that driving was very difficult. "How was your day?" Rey asked after making a sharp turn.

Finn didn't have an exciting story to tell about his day, it was rather normal. Possibly more normal than usual. "It was good, I spent most of it pulling weeds out of flowerbeds, nothing too exciting." He said.

"I beg to differ, weeding my garden is my favorite thing to do." Rey countered.

"To each their own." Finn said, raising his hands in a sign of surrender.

"I guess your day could've been worse, though." Rey said as she pulled into a parking spot in front of Maz's.

"I could have been sprayed in the face with a sprinkler." 

"You could have been sprayed in the face with a sprinkler." Rey repeated what he said in agreement, and somewhat questioningly. They two laughed and got out of the car to walk into the diner. 

The two sat at an empty booth in the corner of the diner, Maz almost immediately attending to them as soon as they sat down, "finally you two lovebirds come into my diner for a date, I was waiting for this day to come."

"Maz," Rey said, laughing nervously, "This is our first date." 

"Oh. Well, your father has been spreading rumors, darling." Maz informed her, "so what'll it be to drink for you two?"

Finn laughed, "I'll just have some water."

"Lemonade and water, please." Rey told Maz, smiling and silently hoping she didn't look as red as she thought she did. Maz patted Rey on the shoulder before leaving the two so she could get their drinks.

"Your dad comes here a lot?" Finn asked, curious to hear about her family.

"We've been coming together every Sunday for lunch for around six years now. My uncle used to come here all the time before he died, it's a family thing, I guess." Rey said, "he comes by himself as well while I'm at work. I should probably tell him not to tell everyone I'm dating people that I'm not, though." 

Finn smiled, "family things are nice."

"Do you have a family thing?" Rey asked.

"I make dinner for Jess and Poe every week if that counts."

"Of course that counts," Rey said, "next date you should make-" Rey cut herself off when Finn's eyes widened, "too soon?"

"Maybe not." Finn replied. 

Maz walked up to the table holding three glasses, setting one filled with water down in front of Finn and the lemonade and other water in front of Rey. "Have we decided on what we'll be eating, kids?" Maz asked, her hands on her hips.

Finn picked up a menu, having forgotten to even look. He scanned through the meals, before making a quick decision, "I'll have a bacon burger, please." 

"And I will take the chicken and waffles as usual." Rey grabbed Finn's menu and handed them both to Maz who walked back to the kitchen. As Rey unwrapped one of the straws she was given, Finn noticed her fingers dyed shades of purple and green and pink, probably from the flower petals on flowers she worked with nearly every day. He saw the dirt under her short fingernails, something he was more familiar with; never being able to scrub the dirt away no matter how hard he tried. Those two things, though not something you'd notice on first glance, were forever etched into his mind as a beautiful part of her, something he'd never want to forget.

He noticed how she closed her eyes as she sipped her lemonade, maybe that wasn't something she did every time she drank, but it made his heart flutter. He wanted to take a picture, to show the world this beautiful girl in front of him, but at the same time he wanted this moment to be something special for him to look back on, something no one else had. He wondered for a moment if she noticed anything about him like that.

(She did. She noticed how he grabbed the car door as she made turns, not of fear, but of anticipation. She noticed how as soon as he had access to a piece of paper, he began ripping it into different shapes. She noticed how when he laughed, he grabbed his stomach. She noticed how his eyes squinted when he smiled and how his voice seemed to perk up when he talked about his friends or family. She noticed how his beautiful eyes seemed focused on nothing but her when she spoke, like she was the only person in the world. Yeah, she noticed.)

"Have you had the chicken and waffles here before?" Rey asked as she set her cup down on the table.

"I haven't, but I hear they're your usual." Finn said with a smile.

"They are indeed." Rey said, attempting to wiggle her eyebrows, failing, then laughing. "But you have to try them, they're amazing. You can have some of mine."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to turn down more food." Finn told her, laughing as well.

"I was thinking more of a trade, actually." Rey said, smirking.

Finn sighed jokingly, "Fine... I guess we'll trade..."

Rey giggled. "Tell me about your life." 

Finn thought for a moment before forming an answer, "I live with my two roommates, though it's felt more like my three roommates lately since Karé, my roommate Jessika's girlfriend, has been staying over every night for the past, like, two months, besides drill weekends." Finn told her, "I work in landscaping, which is basically glorified gardening but you know this already, and I spend my free time trying to cook." Rey listened intently, not taking her eyes off Finn as he spoke. "Poe, one of my roommates, has a cat called Beebee and I play with him sometimes as well. That's about it though."

"Beebee is an adorable name for a cat, what kind is he?" Rey asked before she took another sip of her lemonade.

"Who knows? He's fat, and orange, and has one eye. That's about as far as the information on him goes." Finn said, smiling.

"I hope you'll let me meet him sometime." Rey said as Maz returned with two plates of food. She set the chicken and waffles in front of Rey and the burger in front of Finn.

"Enjoy, you two." Maz told them and they both thanked her gratefully.

Rey cut off a piece of the waffle and a bit of chicken, transferring them to Finn's plate while Finn did the same with his before the two began to devour their meals. They ate in relative silence, if the time their gazes met and they both burst into laughter didn't count.

When they finished up their meals, they both relaxed into their booths, leaning back. "You were right, that bit of chicken and waffles you gave me was amazing." Finn said.

"That burger as well." Rey agreed, "I knew that already though I've eaten literally everything here." Finn laughed at her statement, Rey smiling as he laughed, satisfied.

"Tell me about your life." Finn said, scooting his butt back in the booth.

Rey laughed, "Well, I lived with my grandfather in London until I was fifteen, then I moved here to live with my dad. I finished high school just down the street from the park and I didn't go to university because my dad gave me the floral shop when I was nineteen, saying he was old and wanted to retire. What he really wanted to do, though, was train service animals, so he lied. I'm okay with it though, I love running the shop." Rey said, "I moved across the street from him just a year and a half ago because it went on sale and I've far too lazy to move my stuff across town. That's about it."

Finn smiled, "that doesn't sound too bad." 

"It's nice, I enjoy it." Rey told him. "Oh! I also have my uncle's service dog, Chewie, I he's the best. I can't believe I forgot him."

"You remembered, that's what matters." Finn laughed, seeing her eyes light up when she mentioned him.

"Yeah, he's great!" Rey said, "He's huge, sometimes I use him as a pillow when I'm watching TV and I'm too lazy to get one from my room." She spoke fondly, sighing as she thought of the dog. The two's conversation moved onto TV shows, discussing the reality shows that they both don't understand but secretly enjoy. Then books and films, moving onto obscure things like which vegetables were the best on a scale from one to ten.

Maz brought the two apple pie and they continued to speak for what seemed like hours and probably was hours. Every once in a while Rey would get a text. From her dad, she said, he was asking how her date was going and she would reply that she was still on it.

Finn listened to her talk about her flower shop, telling him about strange orders she got and how she almost daily had people coming in asking for flowers that didn't exist as a practical joke. She said business was good, and she got paid more than enough. She said how people always tried to guess where in England she was from, and then they'd guess Scotland and she would have to explain to them that Scotland was not in England. Finn laughed when she told him stories she found funny, even if they were mostly just strange.

Likewise, Rey listened to Finn as he told her about the large amounts of dog poop that people didn't pick up and she didn't complain that they were eating or that this was a public place because, frankly, potty talk didn't bother her one bit. Finn explained all the things he wanted to petition to town hall to make the town better, Rey nodded as he did, agreeing with nearly every one of his points. Finn told her about Poe, how he was a bit worried for his friend. He told her how Jessika and Karé were often not shy when displaying affection in the middle of the house. Finn said how he didn't really care about their constant kissing, just that they took up a good two thirds of the couch while they did it and both he and Poe wanted to watch a movie or something.

At ten, they finally paid for their food. Rey picked up the bill, saying it was only fair because she was the one that invited him out. Finn nodded and agreed because it was true after all. The two exited the building to the car, getting in. Rey buckled up and Finn did the same.

"Do you want to come to my place?" Rey asked after starting up the car. "I don't normally invite guys over to my place after the first date, but you talking about Beebee reminded me of the time that you chased Mr. Tekka's dog across four blocks and I really want you to meet my dog."

"I'd love to meet your dog." Finn said, honestly. After hearing the stories he was curious to find out more about this huge, lovable dog that she "would die for any day" (her words).

"Thank goodness." Rey said, pulling out of the parking lot. 

The drive to her house was short, about four or five minutes. Finn recognized the street; he biked down it a couple times back when Poe had given him the grand tour of the town. Rey pulled into a small, green house. The house was smaller than Finn's by about half, big enough to fit just her, though. 

She got out of the car and Finn followed suit. Finn walked with her to the front door after she locked the car. Finn could hear heavy footsteps running towards the door on the inside. When Rey unlocked the door, a huge (HUGE) dog jumped onto her. She didn't even stumble as the dog licked her face. When it hopped down, it let out a short, but loud bark.

"I know, I know, I missed you, too." Rey said, getting onto her knees so she could pet it.

"You can understand that thing?" Finn joked, making Rey laugh.

"And he can understand you." Rey replied, "Chewie, this is Finn." Rey introduced them, with Finn laughing. 

The shaggy, brown dog licked Finn's hand and Finn pet his head, "nice to meet you." 

Rey stood back up and turned on the lights, leading Finn down the hall, to the living room. Her living room was nice, a TV slightly larger that the one Finn had at his home, as well as a couch and a shelf full of DVDs. Finn sat on the couch, Chewie jumping up beside him, immediately lying down. "Do you want something to drink?" Rey asked, walking to the kitchen.

"More water would be great." Finn said, petting Chewie as he observed her cute house. The walls were all a nice shade of blue, with sand colored sea shells running along the top. It was pretty; he hoped to have something like that in his house one day. Rey sat on the other side of Chewie, handing Finn one of the two cups of water she was holding. He took a sip and let it rest in his lap, his hands still holding onto it so that it wouldn't fall of and make a mess.

"This is really nice." Rey said, "I don't want it to end." 

"We can watch a movie or something then." Finn said, also not wanting the night to be over quite yet.

"Take a look at my collection, pick out what you like." Rey joked, gesturing to her shelf of movies. Both Rey and Finn stood up, Finn heading to the shelf and Rey heading to the TV. 

Finn saw some films from the 80's as well as animated movies from no particular era and many more recent films. Scattered in there were a few documentaries about forests and castles and mythical creatures. Rey's interests, from what he could see here, were all over the place. Finn was okay with that, though, as his were all over the place as well. After looking for a few minutes, he found his favorite classic movie to watch over and over, The Breakfast Club. He took it off the shelf and handed it to Rey before plopping down on the floor beside her. She put the DVD into the player and scooted back.

Chewie jumped off the couch to lie down beside Rey, once again conveniently placing himself between the two. "Good movie choice." Rey said, lying down so her head was on Chewie's stomach.

"Thanks." Finn said. He sat up for a while, his eyes glued to the screen as the movie started up. 

"Come lay down." Rey whispered, patting Chewie to get his point across. Finn slowly laid down, gently resting his head on Chewie as to not startle the dog. To Finn's surprise and relief, the dog was more than fine with Finn's head on his stomach. The fluffy dog was comfortable; Finn could've fallen asleep on him in a second if Rey hadn't put her hand, palm up in front of both of their heads. Finn cautiously took her small hand in his, not wanting to invade her space, but assuming that it was a signal. 

Rey squeezed his hand, and out of his eyesight, smiled happily. Out of her eyesight, Finn did the same. 

And just as Finn thought he could, he fell asleep to the sound of The Breakfast Club and, more clearly, the sound of Rey's soft, even breaths.

**Author's Note:**

> this was meant to be like a quick little thing but i took forever to write it save me  
> also if there were typos or just stupid phrases let it be known that i wrote this fic in a notebook then typed the entire thing here so i was looking at the pages of my notebook 90% of the time  
> also im not a very great writer so that may contribute a large portion to it  
> one more thing, it probably seems like there's like lots of unanswered questions about Finn's fam (Jess, Karé, Poe & such) thats because there is. i spent too much time thinking about the background for this story it probably only makes sense to me im so sorry  
> anyway thanks for reading if you read this far i love you and hope you have a nice day


End file.
